Chapter 20 Dragon's Roar
“Thud! Thud! Thud!”
The sounds of violent collisions echoed thunderously beneath the moonlight.
Gladys and Dervick's battle was still raging. Each of their clashes unleashed savage bursts of energy.
The surrounding wooden planks were destroyed, the windows shattered to powder, cracks spiderwebbed across the walls, and even the ceiling had unknowingly been blasted open with a gaping hole.
“Damn it! What the hell is going on!?”
As the fight intensified, everyone in the tavern had already evacuated to the streets. To avoid getting caught in the crossfire, the crowd watched from a distance as waves of energy clashed in the sky.
“Boss lady, look up there!”
The tavern patrons pointed with trembling fingers at the sky. “That… that looks like two people!?”
“Quick, notify the soldiers!”
The Tavern Owner looked irritated. Her tavern was on the verge of ruin, and her heart was in turmoil. She quickly barked orders to her staff.
“Have them drag those two maniacs into a cell! My shop’s being torn apart!”
“Begging your pardon, boss lady… but even if the soldiers come… I doubt they’ll be able to handle those two in the sky… They’re not ordinary people…”
“Then what the hell do you expect me to do!?”
The Tavern Owner roared, “Just go already! Why so much chatter!?”
“Yes, ma’am…”
…
Because of Gladys's partial dragon transformation, combined with the fury she felt from Erika's disappearance, her rage had reached its peak.
Her terrifying power completely suppressed Dervick.
He was being pushed back again and again under Gladys’s relentless assault.
Once a proud Paladin, Dervick hadn’t felt this kind of pressure in ages—not even when he betrayed the Holy Church.
“So this is a Calamity Dragon… What a terrifying creature…”
His face darkened, and the confidence he'd worn earlier had vanished. He knew if this continued, defeat was inevitable.
“Swish!”
Spreading her wings with a mighty flap, Gladys arced her slender hand—now transformed into a dragon claw—and slashed through the air.
A wave of chilling white light burst forth, so blinding it seemed to tear the sky apart.
“Boom!”
Dervick managed to block it with his lightning-charged sword, but the force sent him flying dozens of meters, slamming violently toward the ground.
Unfortunately for him, he was falling right toward the crowd of evacuees.
Just then, a group of soldiers arrived.
Seeing a figure suddenly plummet from the sky, they were stunned.
The lead soldier—coincidentally the same one who had earlier investigated the tavern—was on duty again tonight.
“Thud!”
Dervick twisted mid-air to absorb the impact, landing roughly and sending dirt flying in all directions.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded.
The lead soldier was the first to recover.
He stepped forward and shouted, “Who are you! Daring to stir up chaos in Luka Town!”
Dervick didn’t reply. He simply turned his head slightly, his angular face tinged with fury. His signature walrus mustache twitched, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
Without responding, Dervick locked his gaze back onto Gladys in the sky. He knew he couldn’t afford a moment’s distraction.
But that single glance left the lead soldier frozen.
“You… you’re…”
His voice trembled. He pointed at Dervick, but couldn’t finish his sentence.
Still ignoring him, Dervick slammed his heel into the ground and shot back into the sky like an arrow.
“Captain! What’s wrong!?”
The other soldiers had caught up, confused by their captain’s shock.
“Quick!”
The captain spun around and roared, “Evacuate everyone! At least one hundred meters—no, two hundred meters away!”
“Captain? Who is that guy?”
“Inform the Holy Church!”
“Huh?”
“Go! That man is the fugitive Paladin!”
“The fugitive…”
“That’s right—the one who slaughtered an entire town not long ago—Dervick Spancer!”
Dervick Spancer…
Hearing the name, everyone’s face changed.
They understood the weight of a Paladin’s name.
In the entire world, only six humans had reached “Saint-Rank.” Dervick was one of them.
He was one of the strongest on the continent.
“Damn it! Why would a guy like that appear in a place like this!?”
…
Elsewhere, Dervick’s expression was grim, his pupils flickering with cold light.
Bathed in moonlight, he raised his sword, its blade crackling with intense blue lightning.
It was clear—this time, Dervick intended to strike Gladys with full power.
But she wasn’t afraid.
Gladys only stared coldly at him. If she willed it, she could unleash the frigid energy within her and turn Luka Town into a frozen wasteland.
“Swish!”
But just as she was preparing to counter Dervick, a dark red glow suddenly appeared on the ground.
The light caught her attention immediately.
Because it was the same glow that had caused Erika’s disappearance.
Sure enough, as the glow intensified, a small figure emerged within it.
It was a little girl with silvery-white hair, dressed in a thin nightgown. Her pale skin, tinged with baby-pink, pressed against the earth.
She had appeared crawling, looking rather disheveled.
“Ow!”
With a soft cry, Erika fell flat on the ground, her small body aching all over.
“Ow—! That wretched evil god! Couldn’t even teleport me out properly!”
She grumbled. The moment she returned, it felt like she'd been dropped from a great height, landing squarely on her chest.
Especially her chest…
Even though it wasn’t big, why did landing hurt so much…?
“Erika!”
A cry rang out from the sky.
Gladys didn’t care about the approaching Dervick anymore. Her pupils glistened, almost tearful, and she dove toward Erika with all her might.
All that mattered was Erika—she feared she might vanish again.
Climbing up from the ground, Erika brushed off her dress and turned to greet Gladys.
But in the next second, she saw Dervick flash behind Gladys!
“Look out!”
She cried out, seeing Dervick’s lightning-charged sword just inches from Gladys.
Clearly, even if Gladys noticed now, it was too late to react.
The scene froze before Erika’s eyes.
She stared wide-eyed. She didn’t want Gladys to get hurt.
Because Gladys had said—she was her only family in this world.
…
“Bastard! Don’t you dare hurt Gladys!”
A sharp, delicate scream burst from Erika’s throat.
Her brows furrowed, her face flushed with fury. A blaze flickered in her red eyes.
In an instant, the temperature around her soared. A scorching energy erupted from within her.
The Crimson Calamity Dragon’s Dragon Core Crystal began to activate.
“ROAR—!!!”
A roar like that of a wild beast thundered across the sky.
It carried the aura of a king.
As if a sovereign had descended, its power blanketed all of Luka Town.
It was…
The roar of a dragon.